


She ain't heavy

by Kaleidoscope_Carousel



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26926330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaleidoscope_Carousel/pseuds/Kaleidoscope_Carousel
Summary: Laurel and Felicity run into trouble on an undercover mission.
Relationships: Laurel Lance/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	She ain't heavy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Frea_O](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frea_O/gifts).



> For my dear friend, Frea_O on her birthday. It may be years since I got the prompt (piggyback rides), but I finally finished it. Enjoy!

“Dammit Felicity, stay with me!” Laurel hissed as she dragged the semi-conscious woman into an alley and out of the direct line of fire. Roy and Thea were covering from the rooftops, but that would only buy Laurel so much time. She could hear the shouts coming from the Bratva members in the street and she didn’t have to understand Russian to know they’d be coming after her and Felicity soon enough. Or, more specifically, they’d be coming for the USB key tucked into Laurel’s purse, the one with enough evidence to shut down operations for a good long while. Or at least until the next bribe big enough to make city council turn a blind eye again.

“I can’t believe we all agreed to such a risky plan,” Laurel muttered, “undercover at a Bratva event? Of course someone would recognise me from that damn picture Oliver used to keep. Of course.”

“Mmmm,” Felicity replied, “was fun til they started shooting t’us,” she said, making finger guns and pretending to shoot invisible bad guys down the alley with little “pew pew” sounds.

“Whatever they put in that dart really packs a punch,” Laurel said, taking the moment of grace to fish a tissue out of her purse and wipe at the small trickle of blood running down Felicity’s neck from the little puncture wound there. The dart itself was discarded about a block back. Sober Felicity would probably reprimand them all for not grabbing it so Team Arrow could analyse the contents, but drugged Felicity was currently too busy giggling at Laurel in the alley to care.

“That tickles!” she cried.

“Sorry,” said Laurel, “I just. . .” just what? Wanted an excuse to get closer to Felicity? To have a reason to touch her without odd looks and questions? Laurel squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, willing that little voice in her head to just shut up, and tossed the tissue into a nearby dumpster. “Come on,” she said, letting the previous sentence linger, unfinished, “let’s go.” Laurel moved in to Felicity’s side, and wrapped an arm around her waist so she could help Felicity move along faster, the two started creeping down the alley. Felicity slung her arm across Laurel’s shoulder and hobbled along as best she could. 

Suddenly, Felicity gave a lurch and let out a sharp whimper of pain as her ankle turned awkwardly underneath her.

“Shit,” Laurel swore as Felicity’s full weight bore down on her. “Hey, hey, hey,” she said, “are you okay?

“Hurts,” Felicity responded.

“Can you walk on it?” Laurel asked. Felicity tested her weight, then buckled once more.

“Don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head.

“Shit,” Laurel repeated. She could hear footsteps getting closer. She took a moment to weigh her options, She was strong, but as light as Felicity was, she didn’t know if she’d be able to carry her too far. She just had to get to Diggle and the van, or get him closer to them. “Hey Dig?” Laurel said into the comm.

“Already on it, Laurel,” Digg’s comforting voice said into her ear, “I’ve got your GPS signal. If you get out of the alley and make a left, I can meet you at the corner of Simone and Alpha.”

“Got it,” Laurel replied. She just had to get Felicity those two blocks away. Only one thing for it.

“‘Felicity,” Laurel said, “I know you can’t walk, but do you think you can hang on?”

“To what?”

“To me. I can’t pick you up, but I think I can carry you on my back,” Laurel said, already kicking off her heels and trying not to think of everything she could step on. She had a pair of those little slipper flats in her purse that she could slip on, but they wouldn’t be much better than socks on the damp pavement.

“Oooh! Piggyback ride!” Felicity exclaimed and launched herself awkwardly at Laurel.

“Oof!” Laurel said, “Just let me stand up straight first.”

“I can never stand straight,” Felicity said, then immediately blushed, “I mean, uh, you know...” Laurel frowned, but decided she didn’t have time to unpack any Felicity-entendres right now, especially drugged Felicity-entendres.

“Ok,” she said, standing up and bracing herself, “hop on.” Together they were able to get Felicity in position on Laurel’s back, arms over Laurel’s shoulders, and legs grasping around her waist. Her grip was a lot firmer than Laurel expected, considering her current state.

The sounds of shouting in Russian were drawing closer, and so Laurel took off at a light job, as much not to jostle Felicity as to save her energy so they could get to Diggle. She flinched when she felt her foot sink into something soft and squishy that she could only hope was soggy cardboard.

“Not ideal,” she whispered to herself as she picked up the pace.

“Tell me about it,” she heard Felicity slur, her voice barely audible over the sound of Laurel’s own heavy breathing and wet footfalls on the concrete. “This is not what I pictured when I imagined riding you.” It took all of Laurel’s concentration not to drop Felicity in shock. “You smell amazing, by the way. How is that even possible? We’re in an alley running for our lives and you smell like lilacs. You are not fair.” 

For the second time that night, Laurel wondered what the Bratva had put in that dart. There was no way Felicity meant what she was saying, or maybe Laurel had been hit, too, and just hadn’t noticed until she started auditory hallucinations. There was no way that Felicity could reciprocate the feelings that Laurel had been gamely attempting to squash down for the past two and a half years. Gritting her teeth, Laurel pushed on, clearing the end of the alleyway just as the first few gunshots rang out behind her.

With no more time to waste, Laurel picked up speed, running as fast as she could out of the alley and onto Alpha street. The angle of the turn she made almost launched the two of them into a lamppost, but Felicity held on tight and Laurel was able to course correct in time. She looked up to see a pair of headlights flashing at her, and with the last of her strength put on a burst of speed. The van barely slowed as Curtis opened the door and Laurel and Felicity tumbled inside, the sounds of gunshots fading in the distance as DIggle sped away.

Laurel slowly sat up, her whole body screaming at her, and her first instinct was to check on Felicity, who seemed fine beyond the whole drug-induced loopiness. Curtis was trying to get her to sit up so he could check on her a bit more thoroughly.

“Hey, Felicity, it’s ok, we made it,” Laurel said. Felicity groaned, let Curtis slide her back against the door, then promptly rolled her eyes and passed out. 

“Her breathing’s steady,” Curtis said, listening to her chest. He pressed his hand to her forehead, “and her skin doesn’t feel feverish or clammy. She’ll probably be okay once she sleeps off the rest of whatever is in her system. But we’ll keep a close eye on her back at the Arrow Cave.” Laurel pursed her lips, but nodded. There wasn’t much more they could do at this point. The getaway van had very limited medical capacity. She looked up at Diggle in the driver’s seat.

“Roy and Thea?” she asked.

“Fine and on their way back to rendezvous. They opted for roof hopping instead of complicating pickup .”

“Good,” Laurel said, “let’s get home.”

Felicity was still lights out by the time Diggle, Curtis, and Laurel made it back to the Arrow Cave.

“I’ll carry her inside,” Diggle said, “You look like a stiff breeze could knock you over.”

“Thanks Dig,” Laurel replied, but didn’t argue. She did feel like she’d been hit by a truck. . . or that she’d been carrying her best friend down a dingy alleyway in a cocktail dress and flimsy flats, while simultaneously being chased by gangsters after an undercover mission gone wrong. Which, to be fair, she had. So she had to admit she was in a bit of pain. She managed to hobble her way through Verdant and into the Arrow Cave before collapsing onto the training mats.

Curtis and Diggle were hovering around the still unconscious Felicity.

“She seems to be stable,” Curtis said, “I guess she just needs to sleep whatever it was they hit her with off.” 

“Someone should be with her, just in case, though,” Diggle said, “I don’t want anything to happen to her while we’re gone.”

“I’ll stay,” Laurel offered, from her prone position on the mats, “you both have families to get home to. I’m not sure how many late night coding session excuses your husband is ready to accept, Curtis. I can watch Felicity, at least until Thea and Roy get here. One of them can let Oliver know what happened when he gets out of his Council meeting.” Diggle and Curtis exchanged a glance, but the wordless conversation was short-lived.

“If you think you’re up to it, Laurel” Diggle said, “It would be nice to get home at a decent hour for once.” Laurel nodded.

“Thea and Roy should be back soon. I’ll be fine until then.”

“If you’re sure,” Curtis added.

“Seriously, I’ll be ok,” Laurel said.

“Can’t say I’m not looking forward to calling it an early night,” Diggle said, looking at the clock that someone, probably Felicity, had installed on one of the pillars. Its plastic Ikea face was incongruous among the metal and harsh light and shadow of the rest of the lair.

“Well, early-ish,” Curtis corrected, pointing at the hour hand just shy of midnight. “Stay safe, Laurel,” he added, “we’ll see you tomorrow.” Laurel gave a small wave from where she was still lying on the training mats. Diggle and Curtis headed for the stairs, with only a few backwards glances at Laurel as she got up and began dragging a computer chair over to sit at Felicity’s side. She picked up Felicity’s limp hand in her own and whispered,

“Wake up soon, please.” Felicity just groaned and rolled onto her side on the table.

Thea and Roy arrived about twenty minutes later, clattering down the stairs into the Arrow Cave, laughing about some stunt or the other that Roy pulled on the way over. They quieted as they approached Felicity and Laurel.

“Is she going to be ok? Roy asked. Laurel nodded.

“I think so. I think she just needs to sleep it off.”

“Yes, she does, so please stop yelling so loud. . .” all three looked down in shock as Felicity spoke up, although her eyes were tightly closed against the dim light of the lair. “Owwwww,” she continued, “I feel like the day after Spring Break sophomore year.” 

As much as Laurel was tempted, she didn’t grab Felicity up in a bone-crushing hug. She did, however, run over and grab a bottle of water and a couple of pain-killers from the supply cabinet and brought both back over to Felicity on the table.

“You are a goddess among women,” Felicity said after she managed to sit up with support from Thea and Roy and swallow the pills with a large swig of water. Laurel noticed that her grip was still a little shaky, but her colour was already better. Felicity paused with the bottle halfway to her mouth for another sip and she closed her eyes against what looked like another wave of pain. Laurel looked at Thea in confusion as a red flush began creeping up Felicity’s cheeks and to the tips of her ears. “Oh no,” Felicity said.

“What? What is it?” Laurel asked.

“I just remembered something. I was babbling, wasn’t I?”

“Right now?” Thea asked, “no, you were pretty out of it.” Felicity’s flush just got darker.

“No, I mean in the alley. I think I remember saying. . .some things.”

“You may have mentioned a thing or two that could have been misconstrued,” Laurel admitted. She could feel her face heating up too, now. Roy was just looking between the two of them, brow creased in confusion. Thea was trying to hide a grin.

“Well, I think that’s our cue to go get changed,” she said, and winked at Laurel, “I hope you two have a productive conversation.” Laurel shot her a glare, but she laughed it off and scooped Roy’s arm up in hers to head to the change rooms.

After they had made their exit, Felicity looked to Laurel. “About that. . .” she began, but Laurel interrupted.

“No, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain. You were high on whatever drug was in that dart. I’m sure you didn’t mean-” This time it was Felicity’s turn to interrupt.

“I did, though,” she said, “I meant it.” Laurel could feel her face heating up even further, and for once thanked Ollie for his commitment to mood lighting in the Arrow Cave. “I don’t expect anything in return. I mean you’re Laurel. Gorgeous Laurel. But since it was already out there, I might as well admit it.” Laurel’s heart was doing some sort of League inspired parkour inside her chest, and she could feel her mouth going dry. She’d spent so many months meticulously crushing any seedling of hope that dared bloom in her heart, and now that home was in full blossom. Her mind flashed back to all the casual touches, the glances she’d thought she’d caught out of the corner of her eye only to write them off as wishful thinking, all the moments that suddenly had new meaning. Her face must have been an image of shock because Felicity spoke again in an impossibly small voice.

“I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I always babble at the worst times, I really should-” once again Laurel cut Felicity off but this time not with her words but with a kiss. For a moment Felicity froze and Laurel feared that this time she was out of line, but quickly Felicity leaned in to the kiss, her arms wrapping around Laurel’s shoulders and her hands tangling in the hair that had come loose from Laurel’s updo. The tugging sensation caused delicious thrills to run up and down Laurel’s spine, and she let out a soft gasp into the kiss. Felicity took that opportunity to slip her tongue into Laurel’s mouth, nimble and teasing and almost too much.

Laurel growled and wrapped her arms more firmly around Felicity’s back, raking her nails delicately down the soft skin exposed by Felicity’s dress. She was almost ready to reach for the zipper when a wolf whistle rang out through the Arrow Cave. She and Felicity sprang back from each other to see Roy and Thea in street clothes standing by the door to the change room. Roy had just finished slapping Thea gently on the back of the head, and she still had her thumb and forefinger of one hand in her mouth, ready to whistle again.

“You owe me twenty bucks,” she said to Roy as she lowered her hand and held it out, smirking.

“You couldn’t have waited like two more weeks?” he asked Laurel “my bet was between the 25th and the 30th.”

“Wait, you had a betting pool on when this was going to happen?” Felicity squawked.

“Uh, yeah,” Thea replied, “you two were not as subtle as you thought. I mean, Laurel was a little hard to read, but Nyssa assured as she was, and I quote, ‘not quite as heterosexual as one might assume, given her courtship history’ so it was more like a when not an if.”

Laurel made a mental not to talk to Sara about her girlfriend’s newfound love for gossip, but then again, knowing Sara? She’d probably started the whole thing. She also made a mental note to rub it in to Sara that Thea’s Nyssa impression was way better. “Anyway, you two have fun, but don’t forget the new rules,” and Thea pointed to the newly laminated “Arrowcave Rules” sheet that Felicity had put up last week. “No sex in the common areas” was listed as numbers 1 through 5 (mostly inspired by Nyssa and Sara’s visit the month before).

“Have a good night, you two!” Roy said, and Thea grinned as they grabbed hands and ran up the steps three at a time.

“Oh the energy of youth,” Felicity lamented in an exaggerated voice.

“We’re like, four years older than them, tops,” Laurel replied, “and I think we still have plenty of energy.” She caught Felicity’s look and added, “but not for that, not tonight. We’ve been through the wringer and I want to make sure you’re healthy enough to sweep you off your feet properly. And more metaphorically this time.”

“Ms. Lance, I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”

“Ms. Smoak? You have no idea.” Felicity chuckled, low in her throat.

“I should have asked you for a piggy back much sooner,” she said.

“I believe I was the one that offered,” Laurel replied.

“Details!” Felicity said, and leaned in for another kiss. Laurel did not object.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
